CN211231549U - All-round rotation type switching device and vehicle gear shifting equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

The utility model relates to a full rotation type auto-change over device, include: a steering assembly, comprising: a knob rotatable between a plurality of effective angular positions throughout a circumference to switch operating modes; a drive assembly, comprising: a first gear in rotationally fixed connection with the knob, the teeth of which are distributed along the entire circumference thereof so as to provide a plurality of effective angular positions of the knob, a control assembly comprising: an angle sensor arranged to learn an angle value by which the knob has been rotated relative to its initial angular position, a controller configured to switch to a corresponding operating mode in dependence on the angle value and to set a current angular position of the knob to the initial angular position after the switch is completed. By means of the full-circle rotary switching device, the blind rotation of the knob can be carried out in the driving process, so that the driving safety and operability are greatly improved. The utility model discloses still relate to a vehicle gear shifting equipment including full week rotation type auto-change over device.

Description

All-round rotation type switching device and vehicle gear shifting equipment

Technical Field

The utility model relates to a complete rotation type auto-change over device, this complete rotation type auto-change over device can be used for switching various mode of operation, can be used for switching each fender position of vehicle transmission as the shift switch for example. Furthermore, the utility model discloses still relate to a vehicle gear shifting equipment including full week rotation type auto-change over device.

Background

With the rapid development of automotive electronics, modern motor vehicles increasingly use electronic gear shifters to communicate with transmission controllers. Such electronic shifters typically sense the driver's selected gear via a shift position sensor, and a transmission controller controls the transmission of the entire vehicle to shift gears based on these inputs. However, the traditional electronic gear shifter mostly adopts the structure of the gear shift lever, the arrangement and design of the gear shifter and the modeling, arrangement and structural design of the gear shift handle are very complex, the gear shift device occupies a large cab space, the appearance is influenced, and the driving comfort is reduced.

Currently, knob and key shift switches have been developed to replace conventional automatic shift levers. For example, if a knob type shift switch is used, it is necessary to rotate the knob to a fixed number of designated gears to command the driving state when shifting gears.

However, current knob formula car shift switch just shifts when rotating the knob, causes each to shift gears frequently between the fender position, has influenced shift switch's life, thereby especially the infant on the car also can rotate the knob and shift gears out of curiosity, leads to the auttombilism to cause the potential safety hazard.

In addition, since the driver may excessively rotate the knob during operation, so that the driver cannot stay at the designated position, the automobile cannot accurately judge the designation of the automobile, and misoperation is easy to occur, so that certain potential safety hazards are caused.

Further, since the present knob type gearshift switch is fixed at several positions (e.g., several angular positions corresponding to the P-range, R-range, D-range, etc.), the contact wears relatively quickly, the service life is short, and the durability is poor, so that it cannot satisfy the requirement of a long life (e.g., 20 ten thousand or more uses) required for the vehicle.

For this reason, there is a constant demand in the field of vehicles to develop a knob type shift switch that is extremely convenient to operate and also has high reliability and safety.

SUMMERY OF THE UTILITY MODEL

The utility model provides a complete rotation type auto-change over device, include: a steering assembly, comprising: a knob rotatable between a plurality of effective angular positions throughout a circumference to switch operating modes; a drive assembly, comprising: a first toothed wheel, which is connected in a rotationally fixed manner to the knob, the teeth of the first toothed wheel being distributed (in particular uniformly distributed) along the entire circumference thereof, so as to provide the plurality of effective angular positions of the knob, a control assembly comprising: an angle sensor arranged to learn an angle value the knob has rotated relative to its initial angular position; a controller configured to switch to a corresponding operation mode according to the angle value and set a current angle position of the knob to the initial angle position after completion of the switching.

With the full-circle rotary switching device, the knob can be rotated to each effective angle position within the full-circle range, so that the blind rotation can be carried out on the knob in the driving process, the driving safety is greatly improved, and the operation is facilitated.

In a preferred embodiment, the transmission assembly may comprise an engagement member configured to enable the knob to be retained in one of the plurality of effective angular positions by engagement with the first gear.

By means of the engagement member, it is possible to provide the operator, e.g. the driver, with a timely feeling that they have turned to a certain effective angular position.

In particular, the engagement member may comprise at least one resilient contact which is in resilient contact with the teeth of the first gear as the first gear rotates, so as to retain the knob in one of the plurality of effective angular positions by resilient engagement between the teeth.

By means of such a spring contact, for example consisting of a leaf spring, on the one hand a smooth sweeping between the respective effective angular positions is ensured, and on the other hand a temporarily stable holding in position by protruding into the recess between the teeth of the first gearwheel is easily achieved due to the spring bias.

Advantageously, the transmission assembly may further comprise a second gear in meshed transmission with the first gear, and a transmission ratio from the first gear to the second gear is less than 1, the angle sensor being arranged at the second gear to enable monitoring of an angle value rotated by the second gear.

By means of the second gear wheel, on the one hand, the space requirement for the arrangement of the angle sensor in the vicinity of the first gear wheel can be reduced and, on the other hand, the accuracy of the angle sensor for angle detection can be significantly reduced, since the first gear wheel can be rotated through an angle which is smaller than the angle through which the second gear wheel which meshes with it is correspondingly rotated.

In particular, the transmission assembly may further comprise a locking device configured to lock the first gear and thus the knob against rotation. This can provide safety when the full-rotation type switching device fails.

In one embodiment, the lock may comprise a solenoid valve module including a retractable plunger, the controller being configured to actuate the plunger to move between a locked position in which the plunger projects between adjacent teeth thereof towards the first gear, and an unlocked position in which the plunger is retracted away from the first gear so as not to block rotation thereof.

By means of the translationally moving plunger, the interference with the first gear can be controlled in a simple manner and this mechanical locking is very stable.

Preferably, the lockout device may further comprise a sensor configured to monitor the position of the plunger in the solenoid valve module and to feed this position information back to the controller. With the aid of such a sensor, the current position of the plunger can be detected in time, so that the controller can know whether locking or unlocking has been carried out accurately.

For example, the aforementioned sensor may be configured as an optical sensor, the solenoid valve module comprising a head integral with or fixedly connected to the plunger, the retraction movement of the plunger away from the first gear causing the head to project outwardly to the optical sensor, thereby enabling the optical sensor to obtain the position information. Such position information obtained by blocking the space between the emitter and the receiver of the optical sensor is reliable and easily obtained.

In addition, the full-rotation type switching device may further include a display assembly capable of displaying the current operation mode, the display assembly including LED indicators corresponding to different operation modes. Therefore, an operator can conveniently observe the currently engaged gear, and good user experience is provided.

Additionally, the steering assembly may further include a button associated with the controller to enable switching to a predetermined mode of operation in response to depression of the button. Typically, the operating mode associated with the button is a basic operating mode (e.g., P-range of the vehicle), such that the controller knows in time that it is about to begin engaging the various desired gears.

Advantageously, the transmission assembly may further comprise a support shaft arranged concentrically with respect to the first gear wheel, the first gear wheel being rotatably supported on the support shaft so as to be rotatable about its central axis. The second gear wheel can however also be designed without a similar bearing shaft and be supported in a contactless manner by means of magnets.

Finally, the utility model discloses still relate to a vehicle gear shifting equipment, vehicle gear shifting equipment include as before the all round rotation type auto-change over device, the knob can rotate in order to switch vehicle gear mode between a plurality of effective angular position of all round.

Drawings

Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

fig. 1 schematically shows an arrangement of a full-circle rotary switching device according to an embodiment of the invention, visible from the outside;

fig. 2 schematically shows an exploded view of the internal mechanical structure of a full-circle rotary switching device according to an embodiment of the invention;

fig. 3 schematically shows a top view of parts of a first gear, a second gear, a locking device, an engagement member, etc. of a full rotation switching device according to an embodiment of the invention;

figure 4 schematically illustrates the first and second gears according to the embodiment of figure 3 of the present invention;

fig. 5 schematically shows a perspective view of parts of a first gear, a second gear, a locking device, an engagement member, etc. of a full rotation type switching device according to an embodiment of the invention;

fig. 6 schematically shows a perspective view of a locking device of a full rotation type switching device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

figure 7 schematically illustrates a perspective view of a solenoid valve module of the all-round rotary switching device according to the embodiment of the present invention of figure 6;

fig. 8 schematically illustrates a perspective view of an optical sensor of the all-round rotary switching device according to the embodiment of the present invention of fig. 6;

fig. 9 schematically illustrates the circumferential respective effective angular positions provided by the first gear of the full rotary switching device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 10 schematically illustrates a corresponding angle change relationship diagram of the second gear of the all-round rotary switching device as a function of the first gear angle according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 11 schematically illustrates a perspective view of a second gear of a full rotation type switching device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 12 schematically illustrates a diagram of a controller for a full-circle rotary shifter according to an embodiment of the present invention for a relationship between gear shifting and effective angular position; and

fig. 13 schematically shows a communication connection diagram between a full-rotation type switching device according to an embodiment of the present invention and an overall control apparatus of a vehicle apparatus employing the full-rotation type switching device.

List of reference numerals:

100 full circle rotary switching device;

110 knobs;

120 buttons;

130 a first gear;

132 a central rotating shaft;

140 a second gear;

150 resilient contacts;

a 160 solenoid valve module;

162 an optical sensor;

164 a plunger;

170 a light guide element;

180 PCB；

190 conductive rubber;

192O-ring;

194 a bushing.

Detailed Description

It should be noted that the drawings referred to are not all drawn to scale but may be exaggerated to illustrate various aspects of the present invention, and in this regard, the drawings should not be construed as limiting.

In the present invention, the term "full rotation" means that the rotation can be performed over the entire circumferential angular range of the switching device, e.g. its knob, without being limited to a part of the circumferential angular range of the switching device (e.g. switchable by rotation only over the circumferential angular range of 60 degrees, 90 degrees, 180 degrees). In other words, the operator may rotate the switching means, e.g. the knob, by any angle (e.g. 360 degrees, or even any angle exceeding 360 degrees).

The full-rotation switching device 100 according to the present invention may include a steering assembly. The operator, for example the driver, switches/changes the various operating modes by means of the operating assembly, for example a gear/gear change can be selected for the vehicle by means of the operating assembly. Advantageously, the steering assembly may comprise a knob 110, which knob 110 is rotatable about its own central axis so as to be able to rotate between a plurality of angular positions of the full circumference.

In the present disclosure, the term "angular position" refers to an effective angular position (also referred to as "steady-state angular position") associated (whether directly or indirectly) with a selection of a corresponding operating mode (e.g., a shift operation of a vehicle). In other words, not any angular position in the circumferential direction may be involved in the switching of the operation mode, for example, the shifting of the vehicle (these circumferential angles which are not involved in the actual switching operation may be referred to as "inactive or unsteady circumferential angles").

For example, in the embodiment shown in fig. 9, the knob 110 has sixteen such effective angular positions in the circumferential direction, but more or fewer effective angular positions are also contemplated. In any event, however, in contrast to the prior art, such effective angular positions are distributed (preferably evenly distributed) along the entire circumference of the knob 110, rather than being concentrated over a portion of the circumferential angular range.

Typically, to facilitate direct manipulation by an operator, a manipulation component, such as a knob 110, is accessible from an exterior of the fully rotary switching device 100, such as protruding outwardly from a housing of the fully rotary switching device 100. The periphery of the knob 110 may be provided with a knurled structure for easy gripping. Preferably, the knob 110 is substantially cylindrical, but is not so limited.

Alternatively, a new type of knob 110 is also conceivable, the periphery of which cannot be directly reached, and which can be turned by an operator, for example a driver, by directly touching the outwardly facing end face of the knob 110 (for example by turning the knob 110 with the pulp of a finger). In this case, the rotation resistance of the knob 110 needs to be designed to be small, thereby ensuring smooth rotation thereof with a small force.

In addition to the knob 110, the operating assembly may include a button 120, and the button 120 may be associated with a controller described below of the full-rotation switching device 100 to enable switching to a predetermined operating mode (e.g., P-range) in response to depression of the button 120. The advantage of providing the knob 120 in addition to the knob 110 is that when a child in the vehicle tries to rotate the knob 110, no undesired gear shifting operation is caused because the knob 120 is not pressed first, thereby increasing safety redundancy.

In addition, the full-rotation switching device 100 may further include a transmission assembly. The transmission assembly is configured to transmit or limit operator rotational manipulation of the knob 110. In a preferred embodiment, the transmission assembly comprises at least a first toothed wheel 130, which first toothed wheel 130 is connectable (whether directly or indirectly), in particular rotationally fixedly connected (i.e. without relative rotation between the two), to the aforementioned knob 110. In other words, fixation of the first gear 130 and the knob 110 in other dimensions is not necessary, e.g., the first gear 130 and the knob 110 may translate relative to each other along a longitudinal axis. It will be appreciated that other intermediate transmission components may also be included between the first gear 130 and the knob 110, but in any event a rotationally fixed connection between the first gear 130 and the knob 110 is to be ensured.

The first gear 130 is provided at the periphery thereof with a plurality of teeth. It is understood that the term "first gear" may also be other transmission structures similar to the first cam in the present invention. Such a first cam may be profiled to include protrusions similar to the teeth of the gear (also referred to as the "teeth" of the cam) and recesses between the teeth of the gear. The term "first gear" according to the invention is therefore intended to mean a rotatable component which is toothed in the circumferential direction in a broad sense, in particular a component which can be used for force transmission.

Advantageously, the teeth of the first gear wheel 130 are distributed, in particular evenly distributed, along their entire circumference, i.e. the spacing between their teeth (or tooth portions) is even. The teeth (or the spacing between the teeth) of the first gear 130 may provide the aforementioned plurality of angular positions of the knob 110. For example, the first gear 130 may have sixteen teeth and sixteen inter-tooth spaces (or recesses) so that sixteen effective angular positions in the circumferential direction may be provided, but the number of teeth of the first gear 130 or the first cam may obviously not be limited thereto.

In order to enable an operator, for example a driver, to distinguish by tactile sensation when rotating the knob 110 whether to enter a circumferentially effective angular position associated with the switching operating mode, the transmission assembly of the all-round rotary switching device 100 may in particular comprise an engagement member. Such an engagement member may be configured to enable the knob 110 connected to the first gear 130 to be held in any one of the aforementioned plurality of effective angular positions by engagement with the first gear 130.

For example, the engagement member may comprise at least one resilient contact 150, such as a resilient contact 150 made of a leaf spring. The elastic contact 150 may be configured to be elastically biased toward the first gear 130 such that the elastic contact 150 may be elastically contacted with each tooth of the first gear 130 as the first gear 130 rotates (clockwise or counterclockwise). That is, the resilient contact 150 may sweep its teeth stepwise along its circumference as the first gear 130 rotates (although it should be noted that the term "sweep" does not mean that the resilient contact 150 needs to contact all portions of each tooth). Since the elastic contact 150 may protrude between the teeth of the first gear 130 (i.e., into the recess between the teeth), when the elastic contact 150 is located in the space between two adjacent teeth, the operator may obtain a tactile sense of rotating to an effective angular position.

As exemplarily shown in fig. 3, the elastic contacts 150 may preferably be disposed on opposite sides of the first gear 130 (but it is understood that the elastic contacts 150 may also be disposed on only one side of the first gear 130 or at more positions in the circumferential direction). When the number of the spring contacts 150 is greater than one, it is ensured that when any one of the spring contacts 150 protrudes into the space (or recess) between the teeth, the position of the remaining spring contacts 150 is also exactly within the space (or recess).

For example, the resilient contact 150 may be supported at both ends thereof on posts (e.g., short posts/pins) that may be fixed, for example, in the housing of the full-circle rotary switching device 100 or other suitable locations that are fixed relative to the first gear 130. When the elastic contact 150 is composed of, for example, a metal wire, the metal wire may be wound around the pillar to be fixed.

The elastic contact 150 may include a contact portion (peak portion of the elastic contact 150) protruding toward each tooth of the first gear 130. In the case where the elastic contact 150 is composed of, for example, a metal wire material, the contact portion may be formed by forming a ridge portion (peak portion) in the metal wire material in advance.

The contact portions are designed to protrude into the spaces between the teeth of the first gear 130 (i.e., the valleys of the first gear 130) to an appropriate extent, i.e., to engage (e.g., click-in/embed) into the spaces (recesses or valleys) between the teeth on the one hand, but not to protrude too far thereinto on the other hand, thereby adversely affecting or interfering with the rotation of the first gear 130 and thus the knob 110 (i.e., not affecting the smoothness and smoothness of rotation). In other words, the contact portions may extend relative to the first gear wheel 130 to an extent just sufficient to enable an operator, for example a driver, to feel the respective independent and separate circumferentially effective angular positions formed by the gaps (recesses or valleys) between the teeth of the first gear wheel 130. Furthermore, the operator may also be informed by means of the resilient engagement between the resilient contact 150 and the first gear 130 that the knob 110 has been rotated into position, i.e. that the operator can hold the knob 110 in any one of the aforementioned plurality of effective angular positions.

The full-rotation shifting device 100 according to the present disclosure may further include a control assembly that may be configured to translate operator operation of the steering assembly (e.g., rotation of the knob 110) into an actual shift of, for example, a vehicle transmission gear (but may also be a shift of an operating mode of other equipment).

In particular, the control assembly may comprise an angle sensor arranged to learn the value of the angle through which the knob 110 is turned with respect to its initial angular position (which should be one of a plurality of effective angular positions). In the present disclosure, the term "initial angular position" refers to the circumferential effective angular position (e.g., the effective angular position maintained by the engagement member) that the knob 110 (and the first gear 130) is in between two independent operating mode switching actions.

It is understood that the angle sensor according to the present invention may be any type of angle sensor, for example contact and non-contact, optical detection, magnetic detection, etc., which meets the required sensitivity. Preferably, the control assembly may employ a hall angle sensor. Since the structure of the sensor is not the focus of the present invention, it is not described in detail.

Furthermore, the control assembly may also include a controller designed to directly correlate operator manipulation of the manipulation assembly (e.g., rotation of knob 110) with actual switching of the operational modes. In other words, the controller may advantageously be configured to switch to a corresponding operating mode (for example a certain gear of the vehicle) depending on the angular value learned by the angular sensor (which may not directly detect the angle of rotation of the first gear 130, as will be described in more detail below). To this end, the controller and the actuating mechanism that switches the operating mode are typically able to communicate with each other (i.e., the electrical signal emitted by the controller is typically able to actuate a mechanical switch to the steering mode). In addition, various predetermined data information may also be stored in the controller to more flexibly correspond to the switching of the operating mode (as will be described in further detail below).

In a particularly preferred embodiment, the controller may de-linearize (or "indirect (indirect correspondence)") the relationship between the mechanical operation of the steering assembly and the mechanical structure that switches the operating mode. For example, the controller may translate the association between the circumferentially effective angular position to which the knob 110 is rotated and the selection and actuation of the gear shift mechanism of the vehicle transmission into an association in a specific way, in particular a non-direct association.

Furthermore, it is particularly advantageous that the controller can set the current angular position of the knob 110 to the initial angular position of the next switching action after the switching of the operation mode is completed (i.e. the initial angular position is "referred" according to the present invention rather than being fixed in a certain effective angular position). Thus, in the present invention, all the angular positions (e.g., 16 angular positions as exemplarily shown in fig. 9) of the entire circumference of the full-circumference rotary switching device 100 can be fully utilized, because the angular position of the knob 110 at the beginning of each switching action is its initial angular position, not the angular position corresponding to the specific operation mode (in the prior art, the specific gear always corresponds to some angles of the knob 110). Therefore, an operator, for example, a driver, may not need to pay attention to which gear position the knob 110 is currently rotated to, but may perform a "blind operation" on the knob 110 during driving, so that driving safety is greatly improved, and operability is facilitated.

In the present invention, the controller is configured to predefine the rotation between each of the effective angular positions. For example, the controller is configured to switch the operating mode only when the knob is rotated in a clockwise direction or a counterclockwise direction through a predetermined number of effective angular positions within a range of predetermined amounts for a first predetermined time. The predetermined number is preferably much smaller than the total number of effective angular positions distributed along the entire circumference. For example, the predetermined number may be two, but is not limited thereto, and may be three or more. For example, the effective angular positions distributed along the entire circumference may be 8, 16, 32, etc.

It will be appreciated that in the case where the predetermined number is two, there are two valid angular positions (i.e., five valid angular positions in total) from the current initial angular position to the left and right (i.e., counterclockwise and clockwise), which is a small proportion of the full-circle range. The other effective angular positions in the entire range are not meaningful for the switching of the operation mode, and are therefore referred to as "ineffective positions" herein.

It is noted that the term "inactive positions" means positions which are inactive for the current switching of the operating mode, but which themselves still belong to "active angular positions" within the meaning of the present invention for subsequent switching, which is clearly a different concept than "inactive angular positions" (e.g. a position between two active angular positions).

In one embodiment, a clockwise rotation from an initial angular position may be defined as "up-switch mode of operation" and a counterclockwise rotation from the initial angular position may be defined as "down-switch mode of operation". More specifically, it is possible to define an effective angular position of clockwise rotation from the initial angular position as an "up-switching operation mode (up)", and two or more effective angular positions of clockwise rotation from the initial angular position as a "re-up-switching operation mode (up-up)", while defining an effective angular position of counterclockwise rotation from the initial angular position as a "down-switching operation mode (down)", and defining two or more effective angular positions of counterclockwise rotation from the initial angular position as a "re-down-switching operation mode (down-down)". Thus, when the operator turns the knob 110 clockwise or counterclockwise in succession through more than two effective angular positions, it is in fact equivalent to him just turning the knob 110 through two effective angular positions.

It should be noted that when the all-round rotary switching device 100 is applied to a vehicle gear shifting apparatus, the "up-switching operation mode" may be referred to as "upshift", the "re-up-switching operation mode" may be referred to as "re-upshift", and the "down-switching operation mode" may be referred to as "downshift", and the "re-down-switching operation mode" may be referred to as "re-downshift". It should be understood, however, that the terms "re-) upshift" or "re-) downshift" herein, as previously described, are not necessarily directly associated with an upshift or a downshift. It will be appreciated that the above definitions are merely exemplary and that other definitions of the effective angular position through which the knob 110 is rotated may be made depending on the actual requirements and operating rules.

Further, the controller may be configured to upshift the gear of the vehicle according to one of the clockwise rotation and the counterclockwise rotation of the knob, and downshift the gear of the vehicle according to the other of the clockwise rotation and the counterclockwise rotation, or vice versa. For example, the controller may be configured to switch the mode of operation based on the knob being rotated in a clockwise direction or a counterclockwise direction through one or two effective angular positions. In particular, the gear of the vehicle is upshifted once or twice when the knob is rotated in a clockwise direction through one or two effective angular positions, and downshifted once or twice when the knob is rotated in a counterclockwise direction through one or two effective angular positions.

According to the present invention, it is noted that each switching of the operating mode, e.g. a gear shift, is done within a first predetermined time. If the first predetermined time is exceeded and the knob is at a certain effective angular position, the controller may set the currently located effective angular position as the initial angular position as the end of one switching action and in preparation for the next switching action.

If the knob is in the non-operative angular position (as counted from the identification of the non-operative angular position) for more than a second predetermined time (e.g., 30 seconds), the controller will typically issue a diagnostic message/signal to indicate that there may be a mechanical failure of the system (e.g., a failure of the first gear, the second gear, the spring contacts, etc.) or other electrical failure. The identification of the non-valid position by the controller is typically completed within a third predetermined time, which is typically much less than the second predetermined time, such as on the order of milliseconds (e.g., 100 milliseconds).

In the embodiment shown in fig. 12, it can be seen how the effective angular position to which the knob 110 is turned is particularly linked to the switching of the operating mode (in this embodiment, the shifting). Specifically, initially in sleep mode for a full-rotation shifter 100, P-range may be entered when the driver begins to press a button 120 (the button 120 will be explained further below). At this time, if the driver rotates the knob 110 clockwise to the next adjacent effective angular position (e.g., the aforementioned "upshift") while the brake is depressed (i.e., braked by the brake), the vehicle shifting apparatus puts the transmission into N gear. Then, in the N range, if the driver continues to turn the knob 110 clockwise to the next adjacent effective angular position (e.g., the aforementioned "upshift") while the brake is depressed, the vehicle shifting apparatus puts the transmission into the D range. It will be appreciated that gear D can be engaged directly from gear P if the driver continues to rotate clockwise through two (or more) effective angular positions (i.e., "re-upshift") while the brake is applied from gear P. When in D range, if the driver turns the knob 110 counterclockwise through an effective angular position (i.e., "downshift") while pressing the brake, the vehicle shifting apparatus reenters the transmission into N range. When in D range, if the driver continues to rotate the knob 110 counterclockwise through two (or more) effective angular positions (i.e., "re-downshift") while the brake is depressed, the vehicle shifting apparatus returns the transmission directly to P range. However, when in D range, if the driver rotates the knob 110 clockwise through a valid angular position (regardless of whether the driver is applying the brake), then S range (e.g., the sport mode range) may be further entered from D range. In the N range, if the driver rotates the knob 110 counterclockwise for an effective angular position (i.e., "down range") while pressing the brake, the vehicle shifting apparatus puts the transmission into the R range. At this time, if the driver rotates the knob 110 clockwise by an effective angular position (for example, the aforementioned "upshift") while the brake is depressed, the vehicle shift apparatus returns the transmission to the N-range again. When in R range, if the driver continues to rotate the knob 110 clockwise through two (or more) effective angular positions (i.e., "re-upshift") while the brake is depressed, the vehicle shifting apparatus returns the transmission directly to P range. It will also be appreciated that R gear may be engaged directly from P gear if the driver continues to rotate counterclockwise from R gear through two (or more) effective angular positions (i.e., "re-downshift") while the brake is applied.

In the present invention, an operator, for example, a driver, needs to complete an operation within a predetermined time period to be considered as an effective switching operation. The predetermined time may be, for example, within 15 seconds, within 30 seconds, within 1 minute, within 2 minutes, or the like. A further action (e.g., rotating the knob 110) beyond the predetermined time period is considered a new switching operation, when the controller has set the current angular position to the initial angular position, rather than continuing to rotate following the last valid angular position.

As described above, although it is possible to provide the angle sensor of the control assembly directly at the first gear 130 or the knob 110 (e.g., a hall angle sensor is provided near the center below the first gear 130) so as to detect the value of the angle that the first gear 130 and the knob 110 rotate, in some embodiments, it is preferable to support the first gear 130 on a central rotating shaft 132 (rather than a non-mechanical rotating shaft), and thus it is not possible to provide sufficient installation space for the angle sensor.

Advantageously, the transmission assembly according to the present invention may further comprise a second gear 140, wherein the second gear 140 is in meshing transmission with the first gear 130. As previously mentioned, in the present invention, the term "second gear" may also be referred to as "second cam" similarly. The profile of the second cam may be designed to contain protrusions (also referred to as "teeth") similar to the teeth of the gear and recesses between the teeth similar to the gear. The term "second gear" according to the invention is therefore also intended to mean a rotatable component which is toothed in the circumferential direction in a broad sense, in particular a component which can be used for force transmission.

Since the second gear is in meshed transmission with the first gear 130, the value of the angle through which the first gear 130, and thus the knob 110, is rotated can be indirectly detected by detecting the value of the angle through which the second gear 140 is rotated. In other words, the above-described arrangement of the angular sensor to learn the angular value the knob has rotated with respect to its initial angular position may refer to learning indirectly, rather than directly, the angle the knob has rotated, for example in translation by the value of the angle the second gear has rotated.

More preferably, since the number of teeth or at least the gear ratio of the first gear and the second gear has been determined in advance, the data can be pre-stored in the controller, thereby enabling the subsequent calculation to be performed directly using the value of the angle turned by the second gear without adding the step of converting the value of the angle turned by the second gear into the value of the angle turned by the knob for calculation.

One advantage of providing the angle sensor at the second gear 140 is that the arrangement of the angle sensor may be facilitated, since there are relatively few components at the second gear 140. It is understood that the rotation central axes of the second gear 140 and the first gear 130 are generally parallel to each other, and the second gear 140 is eccentric with respect to the main components of the full-rotation type switching device 100 such as the knob 110, so that more space can be obtained. For example, the angle sensor may be directly arranged at the center position of the second gear 140, as schematically shown in fig. 11.

Further, by specially designing the first gear 130 and the second gear 140, a desired gear ratio therebetween can be obtained. Particularly advantageously, the transmission ratio of the first gear 130 to the second gear 140 can be made smaller than 1, in particular the transmission ratio can be designed to be 1: 2. in this case, when the knob 110 and thus the first gear 130 are rotated through an angle, the second gear 140 will be rotated through an angle greater than the angle. For example, when the transmission ratio is 1: at 2, if the first gear 130 has rotated 30 degrees, the second gear 140 has rotated 60 degrees, as exemplarily shown in fig. 10.

One advantage of such a transmission ratio is that the accuracy of the angle sensor for angle recognition can be significantly reduced. For example, when the circumferential angular position of the first gear 130 is sixteen (i.e., contains sixteen teeth), the interval between adjacent angular positions is 360/16 degrees, but the angular interval is relatively small, thus requiring high accuracy of the angle sensor installed at the first gear 130. Meanwhile, due to the fact that the angle interval is small, false recognition is easy to occur. In contrast, if the angle sensor is provided at the second gear 140, the angular interval between adjacent angular positions of the knob 110 is enlarged, for example, doubled (i.e., 360/8 degrees).

In addition, since the engaging member, for example, the aforementioned elastic contact 150, has a limited engaging accuracy with the first gear 130, it is possible to regard all the engagements within a certain angular range around the effective angular position as being in the effective angular position. The angular range may be, for example, plus or minus 5 degrees, plus or minus 10 degrees, plus or minus 15 degrees. When this angular range is exceeded, the controller may assume that it is not in the active angular position (i.e., in the aforementioned inactive or unstable angular position), and may report an error or perform other subsequent control operations.

According to the utility model discloses a corresponding relation between angle value and the effective angle position can be decided according to the position that angle sensor actually arranged to the controller. As described previously, when the angle sensor is disposed at the second gear 140, it actually detects the value of the angle by which the second gear 140 is rotated. There is a proportional relationship between the angular value of the second gear 140 and the angular value of the first gear 130 and thus the knob 110. In any event, it is understood that the controller can determine whether the knob 110 (or the first gear 130) is in the effective angular position based on the actual angular value.

In the present invention, it is not excluded that further transmission components are present between the first gear 130, which is connected in a rotationally fixed manner to the knob 110, and the second gear 140, in which the angle sensor is arranged. The gear ratio between the first gear 130 and the second gear 140 should be predetermined and stored in the controller or matched to the actual control of the controller.

The "effective angular position" and "ineffective angular position" of the present invention are further explained with reference to fig. 10.

As described above, since the number of teeth of the second gear is smaller than that of the first gear (for example, the gear ratio is 1: 2), the interval between the respective effective angular positions of the knob becomes large at the second gear. The identification of the first angular range of a certain effective angular position as being in the effective angular position can be predetermined by means of the controller. The first angular range is, for example, 30 degrees, in particular, for example, plus or minus 15 degrees each.

When according to the utility model discloses a knob includes sixteen effective angular position, if the gear ratio is 1: 2, eight effective angular positions are contained in one circle of the second gear. If these effective angular positions are again evenly distributed circumferentially, the spacing between two adjacent effective angular positions is 45 degrees. If, as mentioned above, the first angular range is 30 degrees, the range of non-effective angular positions between two adjacent effective angular positions is about 15 degrees.

As previously mentioned, the controller may be configured to issue a diagnostic message/signal if the knob is in the non-operative angular position for more than a second predetermined time. Here, the diagnostic information/signal may be alarm information or any data containing a specific meaning. This diagnostic information/signal will typically be sent to the entire system, e.g., the upper MCU of the vehicle driveline.

To ensure safety in the event of a fault or the continuation of other invalid control states, the all-round rotary switching device 100 according to the invention may also be provided with a locking device configured to lock the first gear wheel 130 and thus the knob 110 against rotation (e.g. in response to a signal of the control assembly).

To this end, the locking device preferably includes a solenoid valve module 160. The solenoid valve module 160 may include a retractable plunger 164 or similar rod-like member. The aforementioned controller may be configured to actuate the plunger 164 of the solenoid valve module 160 to move (particularly translationally extend and retract) between the locked and unlocked positions. When in failure (e.g., when the angle sensor detects an abnormal angle value), the plunger 164 of the solenoid valve module 160 will enter a locked position in which the plunger 164 protrudes toward the first gear 130 between its adjacent teeth (i.e., the aforementioned valley or recess). When the fault is cleared or the controller determines that no action is required, the plunger 164 of the solenoid valve module 160 will again return to the unlocked position in which the plunger 164 is retracted away from the first gear 130 so as not to block any rotation of the first gear 130 and therefore the knob 110.

In order to ensure the current actual position of the locking device, the locking device preferably also comprises a sensor. For example, the sensor may be configured to monitor the position of the plunger 164 in the solenoid valve module 160 and feed this position information back to the controller. Here, the sensor may be various known types of sensors.

In particular, the sensor can be designed as an optical sensor 162. The solenoid valve module 160 may include a head integral with the plunger 164 or fixedly attached to the plunger 164. Since the head and the plunger 164 are at opposite ends with respect to the solenoid valve body, the retracting movement of the plunger 164 away from the first gear 130 actually causes the head at the other end to protrude outward to the position of the optical sensor 162, thereby enabling the optical sensor 162 to obtain position information (e.g., whether the plunger 164 has been retracted to the unlocked position).

In a particular embodiment, the optical sensor 162 may include an emitter electrode and a receiver electrode spaced apart by a distance. As shown by way of example in fig. 6-8, the aforementioned head of the solenoid valve module 160, itself or another member secured thereto, extends between the emitter and the receiver of the optical sensor 162 as the plunger 164 is retracted rearwardly away from the first gear 130. In other words, the head will be trapped between the emitter and the receiver, so that the optical sensor 162 receives a signal that the head has been extended to a predetermined position (i.e., the plunger 164 has been retracted to a predetermined position).

Although only one type of locking device is shown here, it is contemplated that the locking device according to the present invention may be any other mechanical structure that is capable of advancing and retracting relative to the first gear 130, so long as it is capable of initiating the east locking function upon command by the controller.

The all-round rotary switching device 100 according to the present invention may be integrated with a variety of functions that can communicate with the overall control equipment of the equipment (e.g., vehicle) in which the all-round rotary switching device 100 is employed. An exemplary system diagram is shown in fig. 13.

The various components of the all-round rotary switching apparatus 100 described above may all be in communication with a microprocessor in the overall control device. For example, an angle sensor (e.g., disposed at the first gear 130 or the second gear 140), a solenoid valve (controlling the movement of the plunger 164), an optical sensor 162 (determining the locking/unlocking position), a controller (setting the initial angle position and controlling the switching operation), a display assembly, etc. may communicate therewith through different or the same interfaces of the microprocessor. It is also understood that the controller of the all-round rotary switching device 100 according to the present invention may also be physically integrated directly within the overall controller of the vehicle without a separate controller (e.g., a separate PCB board 180) being provided within the all-round rotary switching device 100. In the present invention, communication between the respective control units, modules or devices is performed based on a CAN bus or a LIN bus commonly used in vehicles.

For example, a vehicle gear shifting apparatus according to the present invention may include the above-described full-rotation type switching device 100. In addition to the shifting devices, the vehicle shifting apparatus may also include other devices, members, elements for shifting gears, such as, but not limited to, communication circuits, end actuators that perform shifting actions, and the like.

Next, the mechanical structure of an exemplary all-round rotary switching device 100 is shown in fig. 2. First, the full-rotation type switching device 100 may, for example, include an upper housing and a lower housing that combine to form a closed cavity to house various mechanical and electronic components, but this is not essential. For example, a through hole may be formed in the upper housing, and the through hole may receive the aforementioned knob 110. A button 120 is also provided on the top surface of the cylindrical knob 110, for example, with a P-letter designation to indicate that the button 120 can be pressed to enter P-range from sleep mode to initiate further subsequent shifting operations.

The first gear wheel 130 is preferably provided with, in addition to the circumferential toothing, an axially extending projection which is adapted to engage directly with the knob 110, thereby constituting a direct rotationally fixed connection of the knob 110 and the first gear wheel 130. The connection of the first gear 130 and the knob 110 may also contemplate other mechanical configurations, such as via fasteners, adhesives, interference fits, etc.

As shown in fig. 2, elastic contacts 150 engaged with the first gear 130 may be provided at both sides of the first gear 130. The first gear 130, along with the knob 110, may be supported on a central rotational shaft 132 for rotation thereabout. A locking device as described above is also provided on one side of the first gear 130. Also shown in fig. 2 is a second gear 140 in meshing engagement with the first gear 130. The magnet is fixed at the center of the magnet holder to enable the second gear 140 to rotate. In addition, the controller in the control assembly is also shown in fig. 2, which is integrated on the bottom PCB board 180.

Furthermore, in order to display different operating modes, i.e. different gear positions (as can be seen in fig. 1), the all-round rotary switching device 100 according to the present invention may comprise a display assembly capable of displaying the current operating mode, which display assembly may comprise LED indicators corresponding to the different operating modes. The LED indicator may be disposed on a panel of the upper housing, for example. When switching to the corresponding operating mode, e.g. gear, the operating mode currently being used (e.g. R, N, D, S gear) may be displayed in alphabetical letters on the panel. The lights of these different operation modes may also be different colors.

Further, in order to provide the background light for different operation modes, a light guide element 170 is further provided in the full-rotation type switching device 100. The light guide member 170 is preferably disposed around the knob 110 so that the backlight may be transmitted through a gap between the knob 110 and the upper case (e.g., blue for P-stop, yellow for D-stop, red for R-stop, etc.). It will be appreciated that the intensity of the backlight and the display mode of operation may be varied, for example, dimmed or dimmed, according to operator demand. Further, the backlight may be displayed not according to the operation mode to be switched to but according to other in-vehicle atmosphere environments.

Also shown on the right side of fig. 2 is a dome member (also referred to as a rubber pad or conductive rubber 190) that is generally somewhat resilient to enable depression and return of the button 120, particularly to provide a feel to the operator when depressing the button 120. In addition, the conductive rubber 190 can also cover the PCB 180 located therebelow, thereby playing a role of dust and water prevention.

Finally, various conventional components for sealing such as O-rings 192, bushings 194, faceplates, etc. are also shown in fig. 2 and will not be described in further detail herein.

Although various embodiments of the all-round rotary switching device of the present invention have been described in the drawings with reference to an example for a vehicle gear shifting apparatus, it should be understood that embodiments within the scope of the present invention are applicable to switching apparatuses having similar structures and/or functions, in particular to apparatuses for switching various operating modes, and the like.

The foregoing description has set forth numerous features and advantages, including various alternative embodiments, as well as details of the structure and function of the devices and methods. The intent herein is to be exemplary and not exhaustive or limiting.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various modifications may be made, especially in matters of structure, materials, elements, components, shape, size and arrangement of parts including combinations of these aspects within the principles described herein, as indicated by the broad, general meaning of the terms in which the appended claims are expressed. To the extent that such various modifications do not depart from the spirit and scope of the appended claims, they are intended to be included therein as well.

Claims (11)

1. A full rotation type switching device, comprising:

a steering assembly, comprising:

a knob rotatable between a plurality of effective angular positions throughout a circumference to switch operating modes;

a drive assembly, comprising:

a first gear in rotationally fixed connection with the knob, the first gear having teeth distributed along its entire circumference to provide the plurality of effective angular positions of the knob; and

a control assembly comprising:

an angle sensor arranged to learn an angle value the knob has rotated relative to its initial angular position,

a controller configured to switch to a corresponding operation mode according to the angle value and set a current angle position of the knob to the initial angle position after completion of the switching.

2. The full rotary switching device of claim 1, wherein the transmission assembly further comprises an engagement member configured to enable the knob to be retained in one of the plurality of effective angular positions by engagement with the first gear.

3. The full rotary switching device of claim 2, wherein said engagement member includes at least one resilient contact in resilient contact with each tooth thereof as said first gear rotates, thereby maintaining said knob in one of said plurality of effective angular positions by resilient engagement between each tooth.

4. The all-rotational switching apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the transmission assembly further comprises a second gear in meshing transmission with the first gear, and a transmission ratio from the first gear to the second gear is less than 1, the angle sensor being disposed at the second gear to enable monitoring of an angle value through which the second gear rotates.

5. The full rotary switching device of claim 1, wherein the transmission assembly further comprises a locking device configured to lock the first gear and thereby the knob from rotation.

6. The full rotary switching device of claim 5 wherein said locking device comprises a solenoid valve module including a retractable plunger, said controller being configured to actuate said plunger to move between a locked position in which said plunger projects between adjacent teeth thereof toward said first gear and an unlocked position in which said plunger is retracted away from said first gear so as not to block rotation thereof.

7. The full rotary switching device of claim 6, wherein the lockout device further comprises a sensor configured to monitor the position of the plunger in the solenoid valve module and to feed this position information back to the controller.

8. The full rotary switching device of claim 7, wherein the sensor is an optical sensor and the solenoid module includes a head integral with or fixedly connected to the plunger, wherein retraction of the plunger away from the first gear causes the head to protrude outwardly to the optical sensor, thereby enabling the optical sensor to obtain the position information.

9. The full rotary switching device of claim 1, further comprising a display assembly capable of displaying a current operating mode, the display assembly including LED indicators corresponding to different operating modes.

10. The full rotary switching device of claim 1, wherein the steering assembly further comprises a button associated with the controller to enable switching to a predetermined mode of operation in response to depression of the button.

11. A vehicle gear shifting apparatus comprising a full-rotation shifting device according to any one of claims 1-10, the knob being rotatable between a plurality of effective angular positions of a full rotation to shift a vehicle gear mode.

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